The Libertarian Syndicalist Union (ESE Athens) denounces the unprovoked, unnecessary and paramilitary attack of Kostas Paloukis by a team of members of refugee housing squat of Gini building at the National Technical University of Athens – Historical Polytechnic School of the November 17th 1973 uprising.

in the afternoon of June 10th 2016 Kostas Paloukis found himself inside the Gini building trying to locate the area within the campus where an open event under the name “Initiative for an Anticapitalist and Revolutionary ANTARSYA” (Antarsya is a small extra-parliamentary left party) would take place. In his attempt to communicate by cellphone with the organizers of the event, he was surrounded by people who were members of the squat and who demanded his phone to check for photographs. He replied that he is a member of NAR and ANTARSYA and he was heading to the event. After refusing to surrender his phone, these people started to call him an undercover agent and begun hitting him repeatedly on his body and face inflicting injuries.

The historian Kostas Paloukis is well known within the wider anti-capitalist movement. He is known as a fighter of the extra-parliamentary left. The logic which is described by “anyone that we don’t know, is an informer or agent” and the practice of gangster violence (lynch-mob), similar to that of fascist hordes, has no place within the revolutionary and antagonistic movement. It can not have any relation to the anti-authoritarian and libertarian movement. So, as ESE we condemn this practice without a second thought. Such practices are also opposed to the fundamentals and principles of the refugee solidarity movement. If it could ever be possible, in the name of immigrants/refugees to act as lynch-mob warriors! Read the rest of this entry »

The Balkan Anarchist Bookfair was first organized in Ljubljana (Slovenia) in 2003. Since then, it has been taking place almost every year in different cities across the Balkans. After Ljubljana in 2003, the locations that followed include Zagreb (Croatia) in 2005, Sofia (Bulgaria) in 2008, Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2009, Zrenjanin (Serbia) in 2010, Skopje (Macedonia) in 2011, Ljubljana (Slovenia) in 2013, Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina ) in 2014 and Zadar (Croatia) in 2015. This year, the 10th consecutive festival will take place in in Ioannina (Greece) from the 23th until the 25th of June 2016.

Beyond the disposal and exchange of printed material, the aim of the festival is to bring together people and groups from different countries who are active within structures of the anarchist/anti-authoritarian/autonomous movement, and provide them the opportunity to discuss over subjects related to social- and class struggles, to exchange ideas/practices/methods, with the final goal to establish/ tighten solidarity bonds among participants.

Lately, the Balkan states, in as much as the East European ones, have started getting increasingly militarized, under the pretext of the urgency of controlling migrant- and refugee “flows” towards Europe. In the meantime, a fertile ground is paved for nationalism to thrive. It is in those times that the need for communication and coordination of structures that promote internationalist solidarity becomes stronger than ever. It is in that direction that we desire this year’s B.A.B to contribute.

The a/a/a movement has had a strong presence in the town of Ioannina for over a decade now, with participation in antifascist, antimilitarist, working class, student and social struggles. Downtown, but also at the university campus, various groups are active and there are a lot of squats and social centers. Read the rest of this entry »